Edgith Harman
Edgith Harman, often called Grandma Harman, is a Harman witch and holds the position of Crone of All Witches (although this position is vacant as of Witchlight due to her murder), in addition to being the main representative of the witch clans among the Night World Council. She is also one of the most prominent members of Circle Daybreak, alongside Thierry Descouedres and Hannah Snow, and the oldest of the 20th century Harmans. Appearance Grandma Harman is described as being incredibly old, maybe even impossibly so, and stated to be over 100 years of age; she has a "tiny figure...stooped almost double", and walks with the aid of both a cane (in Spellbinder, two canes), and her apprentice, Tobias. Her hair is depicted as white and "fine", while her eyes are "gray with just the faintest touch of lavender". Personality Despite her frail appearance and advanced age, Grandma Harman is sharply intelligent, powerful and authoritative, although she also appears proud of her lineage and her family, and is a dedicated force for good. She is a powerful spellcaster, and can easily sense the spellwork of others, such as when Thea Harman was creating an attraction charm (offhandedly commenting that Thea should also use some plantain to bind the spell), as well as the release of the spirit of Suzanne Blanchet, which in fact negatively impacted Grandma Harman's health. She is not one to tolerate foolishness or anything that could damage the traditions or appearance of the witches, as shown with Thea and Blaise, whom she repeatedly warns against their typical behavior in regards to the Samhain celebration Grandma Harman intended to hold with the Inner Circle members. She has demonstrated a more tender side, in spite of her general toughness, regarding Iliana Dominick, whom she intends to convince of her status as the Witch Child, sensing Iliana's reluctance and unease. This has also been applied to Thea, whom she encourages in her choice of specialty (herbs and gems), and particularly when the girl is forced to leave the Night World due to having a human soulmate, despite having witnessed and shown pride in Thea's skill in witchcraft by re-sealing the spirit of a malevolent witch in Hellewise's name. Furthermore, the Crone possesses a strong moral compass; in Witchlight, unlike the Night World, she is strongly against the coercion of a Wild Power into aiding Circle Daybreak if it is not their wish, and when Iliana at first refuses her responsibility as the Witch Child and a Wild Power, Grandma Harman does nothing further to convince her (although she does take measures to protect the girl and her family), despite the negative repercussions Iliana's resistance would inevitably bring if she continued in her denial. A humorous point is Grandma Harman's professed hatred of magical singing and chanting, as she can't stand "that whiny music", and initially hopes Thea won't decide to choose that particular specialty. Unfortunately for her, she is later subjected to the chanting to heal from the stress of Suzanne Blanchet's release. Family As a Harman, Edgith Harman is a direct descendant of Hellewise Hearth-Woman, the prehistoric founder of the Harman clan, as are Edgith's own descendants. It is not initially known where Edgith was born, but it is revealed in Dark Angel that prior to World War I, Edgith had two siblings: a sister named Elspeth and a brother named Emmeth. During the war, however, the siblings were permanently separated, and it was thought that the latter two children had died; Edgith and her line were regarded as the last of the Harmans. In truth, Elspeth and Emmeth had survived, having been brought safely to, and raised in, England, having issue of their own, but as they were raised by humans, these Harmans completely lost touch with the Night World, to the point of forgetting their own true status as witches, even if their powers remained with them and were passed on to their offspring.The descendants of Emmeth and Elspeth are notable for having silvery-blond hair and violet eyes, marking them out as being of Harman blood, in spite of their own individual knowledge (or lack thereof) of the Night World and their own origins. Edgith's first family members are shown in Spellbinder ''(''Enchantress); her own grandchildren Thea and Blaise Harman, who have come to live with her after being expelled from five schools across America. Grandma Harman likens them to Hellewise and her twin Maya, due to their appearance, although she particularly notes that Blaise has Maya's personality in addition. She seems to have a better bond with Thea and shows pride in Thea's skill, disappointment with her over the forbidden release of a spirit, and then great sorrow when Thea must leave the Night World to remain with her soulmate, Eric Ross. Edgith additionally has several great-grand nieces, including, but not limited to, Gillian Lennox and Iliana Dominick. She also has two great-grand nephews: Gary Fargeon, who is deceased, though he managed to contact and save his cousin Gillian, who aids him in crossing over to the afterlife, and Alex Dominick, the infant brother of Iliana. Although Sylvia Weald is a Harman on her father's side and therefore related to Grandma Harman (she also has the typical hair and eyes of a lost Harman), the exact relationship between them is unknown. It is mentioned by Thea that Roseclear Harman, the youngest child of Hunter Redfern and Maeve Harman, is the immediate ancestor of the 20th century Harmans, including Grandma Harman. Death In Witchlight, after securing the household with wards and using mental manipulation to convince Anna Dominick, Iliana's mother and another lost Harman, to allow Keller and her team to stay, the Crone of the Witches departs. Later in the novel, Nissa, a vampire and member of Keller's team, receives a phone call from Circle Daybreak, which she relates with horror to the others: the call informed Nissa that Grandma Harman was killed in broad daylight outside her Las Vegas shop, mauled to death by shapeshifters (two wolves and a tiger) working under a dragon, Azhdeha, who had been revived by the Night World to either capture or destroy Iliana. Trivia *The name Edgith comes from a medieval English name, Eadgyth, which roughly translates to the meaning "holy war". This fits Grandma Harman's role as a leader of Circle Daybreak, involved in a sort of holy war against the Night World. Appearances *''Spellbinder/ Enchantress '' *''Witchlight '' References Category:Witches Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Harman Family Category:Circle Daybreak Category:Deceased Category:Inner Circle